Enginuity Launches Partnership to Boost Industry Diversity Through Career Returner Program
In a groundbreaking initiative aimed at bridging the skills gap while enhancing diversity and equality, the aerospace and automotive sectors are coming together. Backed by the engineering and manufacturing skills charity Enginuity, a new employment programme dubbed The Aerospace and Automotive STEM Returners Project has been unveiled.
The collaborative effort involving the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) and ADS—the trade association for the UK’s aerospace, defence, security, and space sectors—aims to facilitate the reintegration of STEM professionals who have taken career breaks. Partnering with return-to-work specialists STEM Returners, the initiative seeks to address the unique challenges faced by Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) in adopting diversity strategies, despite the acknowledged business benefits of such diversity.
The programme will roll out in two strategic phases. Initially, insight sessions for aerospace and automotive SMEs will be conducted to outline the advantages of the initiative. Following this, 12-week programmes will be established within host organisations. These programmes, orchestrated by STEM Returners, are designed to offer participants meaningful work experience and mentoring to ensure a smooth transition back into the workforce.
Notably, women are significantly underrepresented within the automotive and aerospace industries, a disparity that this programme aims to mitigate. Current statistics reveal that women account for less than 10% and around 20% of the workforce in the aerospace and automotive sectors, respectively. The initiative hopes to encourage individuals, primarily women, who have taken career breaks to reenter the industry, thereby contributing to a more balanced and diverse workforce.
STEM Returner’s annual research highlights the primary barriers faced by individuals seeking to return to work, with recruitment bias being a significant hurdle. The Aerospace and Automotive STEM Returners Project aims to eliminate this bias through tailored returners’ programmes.
Natality Desty, Founder and Director of STEM Returners, expressed enthusiasm about the partnership: “We are delighted to be part of this new initiative with industry-leading organisations, who share in our commitment to increase equity in STEM and improve the way people who are on a career break return to work.”
Enginuity champions the importance of closing skills gaps within the UK engineering and manufacturing sectors. Ann Watson, Chief Executive of Enginuity, emphasized the programme’s role in not only meeting labour demands but also in driving diversity across the industries.
The partnership has garnered support from significant industry players. SMMT highlights the critical need for a diverse talent pool to sustain the automotive industry’s success, while ADS points out the acute workforce shortages troubling the aerospace, defence, security, and space sectors.
SMEs are encouraged to participate in The Aerospace and Automotive STEM Returners Project, with a sign-up deadline set for Friday, 1st March 2024. This initiative promises not just to fill the immediate skills gap but to lay the groundwork for a more diverse and inclusive future within these critical sectors.
